Scraping and cutting tool



May 7, 1957 J. R. DAVIDSON 2,791,027

SCRAPING AND CUTTING TOOL Filed May 20, 1953 INVENTOR ATTQRNEYS k United States aient SCRAPING AND CUTTING TOOL James R. Davidson, Amarillo, Tex.

Application May 20, 1953, Serial No. 356,199

6 Claims. (Cl. Sil-171) This invention relates to a scraping and cutting tool which while particularly designed for removing paint from window panes and similar surfaces, is capable of various other uses.

In the painting of a window sash, Whether it be wood, metal or other material, the paint brush almost invariably overlaps onto the glass window pane. Such overlapping can be largely prevented, `of course, if sutlicient ycare is taken to maintain a perfectly even boundary between the sash and the pane, andwhile this is extremely tedious and time-consuming, painters generally resort to it because of the great diiculty of removing dry paint in the fringe tarea of the pane.

An important object of the present invention is the provision of la tool which is particularly adapted for quickly and `easily removing paint from the fringe areas of a window pane or the like, thereby yenabling; a painter to apply the paint to the sash rapidly Iand thoroughly, and without the necessity of painstakingly attempting to prevent overlapping of the brush ont-o the window pane.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a tool of the indicated type which is adapted for general scraping and cutting purposes. l

Another object 4of the invention is the provision of a tool of the indicated type which is strong land durable, inexpensive to manufacture, simple and easy to operate, and highly eiicient lin use.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a too'l of the indicated type which can be quickly and easily adjusted to a desired position to adapt it for use in either the left or right hand, and by either a push or pull movement.

. A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of the indicated type designed to be easily, effectively, and safely manipulated, with-out danger of injury to the knuckles or other part yof the hand caused by striking the same against the Window sash or frame.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a vtool of the indicated type employing `a blade insert, for example, a razor blade, wherein means are provided for covering thecutting edge of the blade when the tool is not in use, such means also serving to reinforce the bla-de in its operative cutting position.

Another and more specific object of the invention is the provision of 4a tool of the indicated type provided with a blade holder adapted to hold a `sharp blade as, for example, a razor blade, and a removable runner associated with the blade holder and adapted to Iact as an edge guide, land as a cutter to cut the pain iilm next to tion will become more apparent from the following de- 2,791,027 Patented May 7, 1957 2 tailed description, taken with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the apparatus;

Figure 2 is a plan View of the vapparatus operatively positioned on a window sash adjacent one of the frame members thereof, the handle of the device being removed;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the blade holder` showing the cutting blade in its inoperative position with the cutting edge thereof covered;

Figure 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the apparatus taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the runner;

1Figure 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the handle of the device;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the device with the runner removed; and

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a modied form of the invention.

in its broader aspects, the present invention provides a scraping and cutting tool, ycap-able of general use, and involving a novel construction and rarrangement of blade holder and handle, hereinafter described. In its more specific aspects, the invention provides a scraping and cutting tool particularly designed for removing paint from the fringe areas of window panes and lthe like, and involving an additionaI element, herein designated la runner, adapted to be removably and adjustably associated with the blad-e holder to serve as an edge guide and as `a cutter to cut the iilm of paint adjacent the window frame. In the detailed description which follows, the terms vertical and horizontal are used for convenience and clarity, and it will be understood that these terms are applicable to the parts in connection with which they are used, when the device is resting on a horizontal surface, as shown in Figures l, 2, 3 and 8. However, it will be appreciated, that in many, if not most, uses of the device, it will be operatively positioned against a vertical surface such as a window pane or the like.

Referring now to the drawing, the numeral 10 designates the handle of the device, such handle preferably being formed lof sheet metal, for example, sheet steel, `and having its lateral edges curled under, las shown at 11, `to provide a relatively smooth hand gripping portion 12. At its lower end, the handle 10 is provided with a horizontal extension 13, offset from, and connected' to, the hand gripping portion 12, by `a vertical ilange 14. The hand gripping portion 12 is angularly inclined preferably at an :angle of degrees more or less with respect to the extension 13, and by virtue of this, and the oiset provided by the vertical flange 14, the knuckles of the hand will be sufficiently `spaced from the surface being worked on so that possibility of injury by striking them against projecting window frames, ribs, and the like will be eliminated, or at least, substantially reduced. The extension 13 is provided with an opening 15, preferably circular in shape, and with grooves or indentationsl arranged around the opening in circumferentially spaced relation. The grooves 16 may be pressed or otherwise formed in the lower face of the extension.

The extension 13 rests on and is secured to the body portion 17` of the blade holder 18 by a threaded bolt 19A and a wing nut 2d. The bolt 19 passes through the opening 15 in the extension 13 and through a corresponding opening 21 in the body portion 17 and is preferably disposed with the wing nut above the extension so that it will be readily accessible for adjustment, To assist in holding the blade holder and handle in a desired adjusted position, the upperv face of the body portion 17 is provided With projections or ridges 22 which are circumferentially disposed about the opening 21 for cooperation with the grooves or indentations 16. Any desired number and arrangement of indentations 16 and projections 22 may be provided depending upon the requirements for a parn ticular use.

As shown more clearly in Figure 2, the body portion 17 is provided with angularly inclined oppositely disposed side edges and 26. The side edges are symmetrically arranged at an angle of approximately 90\a to each other and converge inwardly from a portion 27 of maximum width to a portion 28 of minimum Width. Lugs 29 and 30 depend downwardly from the side edges 25 and 26 for a purpose to be described.

At itswider end, the body portion 17 is turned downwardly to provide a depending portion 32 (Figs. 3 and 4) to the lower edge of which is integrally secured the members 33 and 34, for holding a blade 35, for example2 a razor blade. These members are preferably formed by oppositely disposed reverse bends in the metal, the member 33 being formed with a relatively narrow slit 36 for receiving the cutting edge of the blade 35 and the member 34 being formed with a wider slit 37 to receive the reinforced edge of the blade. Since the reinforced edge of the blade is somewhat thicker than the cutting edge, the slit in the member 34 is somewhat wider at its upper edge. In a preferred arrangement the blade holding members 33 and 34 are angularly disposed with respect to the depending portion 32 so as to hold the blade at an angle of substantially 45 with respect to the surface being Worked on.

The width of the blade holding members 33 and 34 should be as great as, and preferably slightly greater than, the width of the blade for maximum support of same and protection against accidental cutting. The blade holders are preferably made of a suitable resilient material such as spring steelV or the like, and the lips or gripping edges thereof Vare biased inwardly toward each other to insure proper gripping of the blade.

The structure thus far described provides a complete scraping and cutting tool capable of use for general cutting and'` scraping purposes in a manner hereinafter described. In the specific use of the device for removing paint from the fringe areas of window panes and the like it is preferred to utilize the runner, hereinabove referred to, and designated herein by the numeral 40.

As clearly shown in Figure 6, the runner 40 consists of a vertical portion 41 and a horizontal portion 42. The lower edge 43 of the vertical portion 41 is bevelled, as at 44, to forma cutting edge, and is preferably in the shape of an ellipse,` theV major axis of which extends the full width of the runner. tical portion 41 is provided with triangular shaped extensions 45 which` are turned inwardly under the portion 42 to add stiffness and strength to the runner. The horizontal portion 42 is pierced by a slot 46, the width of which equals the diameter of the openings 15 and 21, mentioned above. At its inner end, the slot 46 terminates in a semicircular edge 47, the center of which is coincident with the axis of the openings mentioned above. The horizontal portion 42 is symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of the slot and has portions 48 and 49 of its side edges parallel thereto. The remaining portions of these edges converge at an angle of 45 to the longitudinal axis of the slot, as shownat 50 and 51 and intersect the slot preferably on curves 52 and 53, the radii of which are such that no edge of the horizontal portion 42 of the runner will touch the inside face of the vertical portion 32 of the blade holder when the runner is swung to difterent operative positions, as hereinafter described.

The modified form of the invention shown in Figure 9 is designed for general scraping and cutting purposes and no provision is made for the use of a guide runner, as in the previous embodiment. ln this form of the invention, the angularly disposed extension 55 of the handle 56 is connected directly to the handle and there is no offsetting portion corresponding to the portion 14 of the previous At opposite sides thereof the ver- 4 embodiment. The extension 55 is adjustably secured to the body portion S7 of the blade holder 58 by a bolt 59 and wing nut and cooperating projections and indentations may be provided, as in the previous embodiment, to hold the parts in position.

At its wider end, the body portion 57 of the blade holder is turned downwardly as before, but through a `substantially greater angle, to provide a downwardly and forwardly extending portion 61, arranged at an angle of 45, more or less, to the body portion 55. The blade holding members 62 and 63 are then formed by reversely bending the metal to provide a relatively narrow slit or pocket 64 for receiving the cutting edge of the blade, and a somewhat wider pocket 65 for receiving the reinforced edge of the blade. These blade holding members and the pockets therein are substantially parallel to the portion 61 and hold the blade in a corresponding position, namely, parallel to the portion 61. This form of the invention, like the other, can be used in either the right or left hand, and with either a pull or push movement, it merely being necessary to adjust the blade holder to the desired operative position with respect to the handle.

Operation The form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1-8 may be used either with or without the runner 40, as will be readily apparent from the foregoing description. For general scraping and cutting purposes the runner 40 will generally not be used. For such use, it is merely necessary to adjust the handle to the desired angle for most effective scraping or cutting. Thus, for example, if it is desired to use the device with the right hand the blade holder may be adjusted either at right angles to the handle, or at a slightly inclined angle thereto, as shown in Figure 8. Corresponding adjustment of the `parts in the opposite sense may be made when the device is to be used in the left hand.

In the use of the device of Figures l-8 for removing paint from the `fringe areas of a window pane or the like thc runner 40 is preferably used, and may be quickly and easily mounted in position by loosening the wing nut 20, and inserting the horizontal portion 42 of the runner between the head of the bolt 19 and the under surface of the body portion 17, with the shank of the bolt positioned in the slot 46 in engagement with the semi-circular end portion 47. The runner 40 is then turned about the axis of the bolt until one ofthe edges 48 or 49 of the horizontal portion 42 thereof bears against one of the downwardly extending lugs 29 or 30, depending upon which hand is to be used to manipulate the device. Thus, for example, if the right hand is to be used, the runner 40 will be ad justed so that the edge 49 thereof is in engagement with the lug 30, as shown in Figure 2. This will prevent clock wise rotation of the runner with respect to the blade holder, thereby insuring proper adjustment of the parts while the device is in use. If the device is to be used in the left hand, the symmetry of both the runner and the blade holder provides for a similar bearing of the edge 48 against the lug 29, thus preventing clockwise rotation of the runner with respect to the blade holder.

lt should be noted at this i point that the converging edges 50 and S1 of the horizontal portion 42 of the runner, as well as the curved edges 52 and 53, permit the runner to be turned about the axis of the bolt 19 between its operative positions, Without any of the edges of the horizontal portieri 4Z engaging the adjacent surface of the depending portion 32. lt should also bc noted that the corners of the reduced portion 28 of the body portion 17 are rounded off as shown at 68 and 69' so asnot to interfere with an extended plane through vertical portion 41 of the runner when the same is turned.

When the runner is thus disposed in either of its operative positions, the parts are constructed' and arranged such that an extended plane, coincident with the outside face of the vertical portion 41 of the runner, will be at un d,

an angle of approximately 45 to the cutting edge of the blade insert and will pass through the corresponding end point 70 of such cutting edge, as clearly shown in Figure 2. In addition, the parts are also constructed and arranged so that the lowermost point 71 of the cutting edge of the runner is disposed in the same horizontal plane as the cutting edge of the blade when the device is in operative position against a surface being worked on, as clearly shown in Figure l.

In the removal of dry paint from the fringe area of a window pane, the device is held as shown in Figures l and 2, namely, with the vertical portion of the runner against one of the frame members of the window and with the cutting edges of the runner and blade insert against the window pane, as shown in Figure l. The device is then manipulated to progress the runner along the pane perimeter.

By virtue of the indicated construction and arrangement, the runner cuts the paint lm in a thin line through to the glass and since it bears laterally against the protruding edge of the sash, acts as a guide for the force being applied to the implement by the hand. During such movement, the blade insert follows the runner with its cutting edge in engagement with the window pane and with the end point of the cutting edge following along the line cut by the runner. In addition, the cutting edge of the blade insert is disposed at an angle of approximately 45 to the vertical portion of the runner and the blade itself is disposed at an angle of approximately 45 to the surface of the window pane. Thus as the blade follows the runner it slices the infringing paint from the window pane inwardly to the line cut by the runner leaving a smooth, neat edge at the perimeter.

The interlocking of the indentations 16 and projections 22, when the bolt assembly is tightened, permits the choice of eight different positions of the handle with respect to the blade holder 1S, thus enabling the device to be used in either left or right hand position in either a push or a pull manner.

By a slight loosening of the wing nut 20, the runner 40 may be quickly and easily removed by pulling it outward in the direction of the slot 46. The device may thus be converted into a tool for general scraping and cutting purposes, as shown in Figure 8, such tool, because of the novel construction and arrangement of parts, having several advantages not possessed by prior tools for this purpose. One of the principal advantages is the versatility attained from the choice of eight different positions of the handle with respect to the 4blade holder, giving either right or left hand operation in either a push or pull manner. The tool may be held so that the plane of the sharp blade insert will be at any desired angle with respect to the window pane or other surface being worked on. Experimentation indicates that the easiest position for scraping paint from glass is one in which the blade angle is about 45 At this angle, the body portion i7 of the blade holder is parallel to the plane of the glass, and the protrusion of same, together with the vertical dimension of the vertical portion 32 of the blade holder, are such that while the implement is in a pusher position with the runner removed, the blade may abut the edge of the window pane at an adequate vertical angle with the pane, with no interference of the upper parts of the device with the protruding window sash or frame of ordinary shape.

ln order to prevent damage or accidental injury when the device is not in use, the blade insert is removed from its operative position in the holder 34 and inserted in the pocket of the holder 33 with the cutting edge thereof disposed downwardly as shown in Figure 4. When the blade insert is so positioned, the cutting edge thereof will be covered by the walls of the pocket 36 so that the same is not exposed to cut the finger or other object with which it might otherwise come in contact. In addition to enclosing the cutting edge of the blade while the same is in its inoperative position, the walls of the pocket 33 also per- 6 form another important function, namely, as a support for the blade. Thus it will be noted from Figure 3 that when the blade is in its operative scraping or cutting position the nose of the blade holder 33 engages the upper face of the blade and serves to reinforce same during use of the device.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 9 is designed for general scraping and cutting purposes and, aside fro-m the fact that no provision is made for the use 'of a runner, has many of the advantages of the structure shown in Figure 8. Thus the blade holder may be adjusted to any desired position with respect to the handle thereby increasing the Versatility `of the tool and widening its range of usefulness. In addition, a blade holding pocket is provided for receiving and covering the cutting edge of the blade when the same is not in use thereby preventing accidental injury. Moreover, such blade holding pocket is so disposed that the walls or nose thereof act to reinforce the blade when the same is in its operative scraping and cutting position.

While the device of the invention is particularly adapted for Iremoving paint from window panes and the like it is also capable of other uses such as cutting or scraping any hard smooth surface, scraping ice from automobile windshields, model `airplane making and other hobby uses, or as -a straight edge razor.

l-t will thus be seen that the present invention provides an improved scraping and cutting device which is simple and economical in construction, highly effective in oper-ation and relatively easy to manipulate. While preferred embodiment-s of the invention have been disclosed herein, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details illustrated and described, except as covered in the following claims.

l claim:

l. A scraping and cutting device comprising -a handle having a hand gripping portion and an extension on the hand gripping portion provided with an opening, said extension being laterally offset from the hand gripping portion and disposed at an acute angle thereto, a blade holder having a body portion engage'able with said extension, said body portion having an opening therein adapted to be 4aligned with the opening in sa-id extension, attaching means extending through said openings for securing said extension to said body portion, a flange extending angularly from said body portion substantially at right angles to said extension, and a blade holding device carried by said flange and having a resilient W-alled pocket 4therein adapted to receive and hold a blade insert with the cutting edge thereof disposed outwardly of the pocket.

2. A scraping and cutting device of the type set forth in claim 1 including reinforcing means carried by said flange and engageable with a blade in said pocket to prevent undue deflection thereof during use of the device.

3. A scraping and cutting device of the type set forth in claim l wherein the resilient walled pocket is formed integrally with the flange by bending it upon itself.

4. .A scraping and cutting device of lthe type set forth in claim l wherein the blade holder is formed integrally as part of the flange by ben-ding the outer portion thereof at an obtuse .angle t-o form a deep reinforcement against deflection of the blade to be held, bending the outer portion of the reinforcement sharply upon itself to form a slit pocket and again bending Ithe outer portion of the reversely bent portion to form the blade holding pocket.

5. A scraping land cutting device comprising a blade holder having a body portion and an integral extension on said body portion disposed substantially at right angles thereto and provided with .a blade holding device, said blade holding device provided with means to hold a blade with its cutting edge parallel to the axis of the di'- hedr-al angle formed between said body and said extension, said body and said extension each having a pair of substantially parallel edges at right .angles to the axis of said dihedral angle, the companion pair of edges on each side of the device serving `as an abutment, a handle, adjustable means for removably securing the blade holder to the handle, said means comprising a threaded bolt and a nut, a runner having a substantially flat body portion and an integral extension thereon, said latter extension terminating in a curved cutting edge and a slot in said runner body for engagement with the bolt connecting the blade-holder body and the handle, the face of said runner extension being adapted to be seated against either of the abutments formed on the blade holder, and the body portion of said runner being adapted to be oiampingly held between the blade holder body 'and the handle.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the `blade holder body is additionally provided with a pair of edges each disposed at an acute angle to the axis of the dihedral angle of the body and its extension, said additional side edges each having la depending lug adapted to serve as an abutment for the runner extension.

meine? References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Weidner Oct. 24, 1905 Swan May 7, 1907 Vlchek n.-- Aug. 22, 1916 Rothermel Apr. 23, 1929 Abrahamsen Apr. 19, 1932 Christianson Aug. 18, 1936 Babb Oct. 5, 1937 Williams Dec. 31, 1940 Giddings Feb. 1l, 1941 Anderson Apr. 14, 1942 Knomer July 14, 1942 Ericksen Apr. 25, 1944 Soldam' Ian. l, 1946 

